Product Description
In the quest for quality, software developers have long focused on
improving the internal architecture of their products. Larry L.
Constantine–who originally created structured design to effect such
improvement–now joins with well-known consultant Lucy A. D.
Lockwood to turn the focus of software development to the external
architecture. In this book, they present the models and methods of a
revolutionary approach to software that will help programmers deliver
more usable software–software that will enable users to accomplish
their tasks with greater ease and efficiency.
Recognizing usability as the key to successful software, Constantine and
Lockwood provide concrete tools and techniques that programmers can
employ to meet that end. Much more than just another set of rules for
good user-interface design, this book guides readers through a systematic
software-development process. This process, called usage-centered
design, weaves together two major threads in software-development
methods: use cases (also used with UML) and essential modeling. With
numerous examples and case studies of both conventional and specialized
software applications, the authors illustrate what has been shown in
practice to work and what has proved to be of greatest practical value.
Highlights
Presents a streamlined process for developing highly usable software
Describes practical methods and models successfully implemented in industry
Complements modern development practices, including the Unified Method and other object-oriented software engineering approachesAmazon.com Review
For anyone who designs applications or Web pages professionally, Software for Use provides an appealingly written guide to user interface design. This book delivers many valuable insights on improving interfaces for both desktop applications and Web sites.
A software design process is first presented that’s centered on usability (with terms like “user roles,” “use cases,” and “interaction contexts”). Early sections have much to say about inadequate interfaces (using a number of Windows examples) and how to improve them. The book presents an argument for creating innovative and intuitable interfaces (often by rethinking time-honored Windows conventions).
The most provocative material here is the coverage of the Internet–the book argues that many Web sites sacrifice usability for visual razzle-dazzle, and it offers ways to organize Web sites for better usability. (A section on embedded devices looks at UI issues for these systems too.) A full case study of a user interface design for a corporate address book is included.
Software for Use makes a good case that there is room for improvement in today’s user interfaces. This book is sure to be a valuable resource for anyone serious about improving the user’s experience of software or Web sites. –Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Design processes; help systems and error messages; and interface creation for novice, intermediate, and advanced users.
I have heard very good things about this book and I already own it for 6 months. Still I haven’t been able to read more than the first 100 pages. I generally have no trouble reading books that are written in English but this one is extremely hard to read. The sentences are way to long and a lot of the used words are unknown to foreign people. I also feel that the information could be presented in a better way. I rate 2 stars because I like what I have been able to read.
Amazon User Rating: 2 / 5
Stating that software is to be written for humans to use is a phrase that should provoke a sarcastic reaction questioning the intelligence of the one uttering it. If that were always the case, then there probably would be a comic strip similar to the immensely popular Dilbert devoted to this topic. Unfortunately, time pressures, complexity, ignorance, and low user expectations combine to make it all too common that the phrase “user friendly” might as well be a mantra in whale song. Some projects are developed without any input from those considered the target costumer base and in others, the input is solicited only to be ignored or belittled. The authors of this book argue for the insertion of what they call “usage-centered design” into the intense, often chaotic process of building software.
Chapter 11, “Help Me If You Can: Designing Help and Helpful Messages,” made the greatest impression. Throughout the history of software development, the creation of genuinely helpful documentation has been an art woefully MIA (muddled, incomprehensible, and abstruse). Even the most intuitive of interfaces with occasionally leave you baffled, or you will click on the wrong item or press an inappropriate key. The development of essential use cases for help distills the topic down into eight statement prefixes that any parent of a young child faces several times a day. Some of the best advice for creators of online help comes from the basic principles of newspaper journalism. Get to the point. Tell the whole story in the headline. Tell the whole story in the first paragraph. Or the even blunter advice, “Make your help help.”
The most significant advance in the design of user interfaces has been the creation of the icon. A section called “‘ eye-con’ design” brings things right to the point–it is the eye that matters. With so little area available, the creation of quality icons is a real art form. However, it is something that can be learned. This is a section that should be required reading before you open the drawing program.
No book that promotes the user can be complete without extensive treatment of the World Wide Web. While there is no doubt that the Web has changed the world, as is properly pointed out, programming for the Web does not differ all that much from “traditional” programming. The authors’ approach is summarized in the caption, ” The chaos and complexity of the Web places a premium on such old-fashioned virtues as making it clear to users where they are and how they got there.” I would add the additional line, ” and clearly showing them what they should do.” This philosophy is backed up by experience, where users will generally not wait longer than the number of seconds they can count on their fingers. Users also avoid sites that are difficult to navigate or as unclear as if they were in monochrome.
If there is a weakness in this book, it is the lack of clear examples. As the author highlights in several places, many people function well in their jobs without thinking a great deal about it. However, if they are asked to codify what they do and how they do it, problems arise. Only clear examples can demonstrates the true path to understanding. This is especially telling in the section on web design. While there is a diagram illustrating a poorly designed online form, there is no example of a good one. A link to a site demonstrating a well-designed form would be an enormous improvement. There is a Website listed on the back cover, but it is the site of the company where the authors work and any material directly related to this book is not readily apparent.
There is so much valuable material in this book that is the only possible to highlight a few of the most striking items. If and when I ever go back into the chaotic world of software development, purchasing copies for each member of the team will be written into the budget, along with the necessary time to read and discuss it – probably the highest ROI that the project will have.
Published in Journal of Object-Oriented Programming, reprinted with permission
Amazon User Rating: 5 / 5
First off, the information in this book is fantastic! I have attended lectures by Larry Constantine and as a professional software designer with 10 years experience myself I find his methods well grounded in the realities of building actual product. That said, this book has a major flaw. I completely agree with a prior review titled, “Why use 1000 words to explain that which could be done in 10?” This book is too wordy and poorly organized. It meanders about intermixing the mechanics of constructing design artifacts with anecdotes that are tangentially related. The book could be half as long and should separate overviews, details and examples. As stated by Constantine & Lockwood, software (or a technical book for that matter) is at it’s core a tool. As a designer I want to be able to easily jump from big picture concepts to details to usage examples as needed. This book as currently organized makes that very difficult. So the information is great, but I would very much like to see this book re-edited and released as a thinner, more focused v2.0.
I recommend checking out Constantine & Lockwood web site http://www.foruse.com for more distilled documents. Unfortunately that site has been “under construction” for quite some time (going on three years I think!!!). The result is it’s not very up to date.
Amazon User Rating: 3 / 5
Perseverence is required, as the text is a little dry and verbose. However, there are too many leading edge ideas to score it other than full marks. Advances the state-of-the-art in systems engineering by promoting thorough requirements engineering using interaction neutral Essential Use Cases and then good quality Interaction Design as an integrated part of the lifecycle
Amazon User Rating: 5 / 5
For anyone in the business of delivering usable software, the book ‘Software for Use’ by Larry Constantine and Lucy Lockwood is a must addition to their personal library. This book is wonderfully written in a very readable format (as would be expected from usability experts).
‘Software for Use’ embraces the key principles of usability in a very pragmatic way. The book is also ‘in tune’ with trends in the field of usability: moving to a more collaborative team model; addressing usability as a proactive design process rather than a reactive QA function; rethinking technology, tools, & techniques for the purpose of delivering user-centric software products – these are all fundamental aspects of how usability is maturing as a discipline.
One of things I enjoyed most about the book, was its hidden gems of wisdom embedded in each chapter. For example, in discussing the issues of marketability versus usability, the authors offer this simple maxim: “Design for use; refine for sale…. It is almost always far easier to make a functional but unaesthetic system attractive, than to take an attractive but impractical system and make it work.”
If I had any criticisms about this book, there would be only one. As with many of today’s practical guides, I find there is a recurring challenge with terminology. It is sometimes difficult to identify terms that are ‘standard’ versus those being introduced by the authors as new. As practitioners we rely heavily on the clarity of words to communicate tasks and deliverables. When applied terms are unfamiliar in context and origin, or they suggest double meaning, we introduce cost and confusion to the process of communication. This is not so much a criticism of the book as it is an observation of humankind, and our struggle to expand the English language.
As the authors themselves note, ‘usability is not rocket science,’ but it takes time and effort to achieve. Usability needs to be experienced before it can be standardized within an organization. That is why ‘Software for Use’ is such a good book – it is an experiential guide.
Amazon User Rating: 4 / 5